Improvement in hay-spreaders



'A. B, BARNARD.

Hay Spr'ader. 7 No. 84,725,. h Patented Dec. 8, I868.

N. PETER MUMW. Waking! IL C.

- if 5mm new time A. B. BARNARD, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORTO THOMAS CJCRAVEN, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

Letters Patent No. 84,725, dated December 8, 1868.

The schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and. making part of thesame.

Know all men by these presents ThatL'A. B. BARNARD, of the city' andcounty of Worcester, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Gravens and other HayrTedders;and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 represents aplan view of my improvements as applied to the Graven hay-tedder, socalled;

Figure-2 represents a transverse section on line-A B, fig. 1; and

Figure 3 represents a modification in the mode of carrying out myinvention, as will be hereafter explained.

To enable those skilled in the art to which my invention belongs, tomake and use the same, I will proceed to describe it more in detail.

In the drawings, the part markedA is the frame of the tedder; B, thereel-spindleor shaft; 0, the axle; D, the wheels; and E, the thills; allof which may be arranged in any well-known and desirable manner, andwill therefore require no further explanation.

Fixed to the thills E are bent or curved screws, F, which-e'xtend upwardand pass through openings in the cross-piece a. of the reel-frame A. Theopenings are sufficiently large to allow free movement, up and down,

of the cross-piece a, which is prevented from rising above the ends ofthe screws F by the nuts G.

Below the cross-piece at, around the screws F, are placed coiled-wiresprings, K, the top ends of which press up against the cross-piece a,while their lower ends rest uponnuts H,-upon the screws F.

It will be seen that the front of frame A is supported by the expansiveforce the springs K K, and consequently the hay-teddering or spreadingdevice, which is to be supported upon the rear of frame A, can rise andfall, to conform to theuneven surface of the ground, or to passobstluctions in the path of the machine, the springs -K K yielding forthat purpose, whereby all danger and liability of the tethler-teeth orforks being broken or injured, by catching elevations of earth orstriking against obstructionsin the path of the machine, are obviated.

In lieu of spiral springs, flat or other-shaped metal springs may becombined with the frame A, to produce the same results.

' When it is desired to increase the resistance of springs K K, the nutsH H are screwed up on the screws F, and vice cersa.

'The front piece, a, of name A, may be dispensed with, and the ends ofcross-piece J, or its equivalent, extended out on each side of thethills, to support the screws F or curved standards L, provided withholes, a, as indicated in fig. 3.

The standards L pass up through loops or guides O, and are to beprovided with springs, M, to press up against the ends of theside-pieces'N of the reel-frame A, or against the loops or guide-piecesO, fastened to said end-pieces. (See fig. 3.)

The springs M may be supported on pins. passed through holes in thestandards L, or they may be allowed to rest directly on the ends of thepiece J, as shown in the drawings.

By placing the pins 72 in the diiferent holes, 0, in the standards L,the rear of the frame A, which supports the hay-teddering or spreadingdevice, can be adjusted to run at any desired height above the ground,while, at the same time, possessing the' capability of yielding upwards,to prevent injury to the forks or tines, as before explained.

Although my invention is more particularly designed to be used inconnection with the hay-tedder for which Thomas G. Graven has recentlyapplied for Letters Patent, it may be applied to other tedders with goodresults.

The seat for the driver is to be supported upon the cross-piece J, or aframe attached to the rear ends of the thills.

Having described my improvements in hay-tedders,

What I claim therein as new and of my invention,

and desire to secure by Letters Patent, -is- The combination, with thescrew-standardor stande ards F, provided with nuts, as shown, of coiledspring or springs K, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

- A. B; BARNARD.

Witnesses: v

Tnos. H. Donen, D. L. MILLER.

